ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – An Albuquerque neighborhood is working to change alleyways that are usually an afterthought and not well cared for. 

The is project has a few goals: they want to clean the alleyways up, and make it a safe path for children to take to school.

“It’s really been really special for me,” said Tanya Mullen, a chairperson for the South San Pedro Neighborhood Association. 

Building a better community is what gets Tanya Mullen up in the morning. Her work on a beautification project basically in her own backyard has been very gratifying. 

“We had a dad who lives on an alley closer to San Mateo this morning expressed that he’s afraid to have his kids play in the backyard because of the things that have been happening in their alleys. And as you can see, we’ve got an immediate pocket park, really, that neighbors can come out and play in,” said Mullen.

The project is meant to create more murals in alleyways, so people have beautiful artwork to look at as they walk through alleys. As opposed to walking through alleyways with weeds and trash that haven’t been cleaned up yet.

The South San Pedro Neighborhood is collaborating with the city and the county on revamping its alleys. 

“Our alleyways have had a negative effect on what people think of South San Pedro. Us and a bunch of other neighbors, have gotten together with South San Pedro Neighborhood Association to beautify them and make them better, make them more welcoming,” said Natalie Vargas, vice chair of the South San Pedro Neighborhood Association. 

Volunteers painted murals and laid down mulch. The alley between California and Dakota will eventually be used for the walking bus in the area.

“When my children were smaller, I would have loved for them to be able to walk to school. Had that same experience I did as a child, where I was able to walk to school. So providing them a safe space to walk into is very important to me,” said Vargas. 

Volunteers walk children to school to make sure they get there safe, and now they’ll have a clean and inviting shortcut.

“We’re revitalizing South San Pedro. We’re reinventing what people think and see. So it’s great because it feels just all brand new,” said Vargas. 

For this to work, all the neighbors on that block have to be on board to pitch in and keep it up. The walking bus is set to launch this fall for Walktober.

If you would like to volunteer in the South San Pedro area walking bus, you can contact Kelly Davis with Wilson Middle School Community Coordinator, at 505-268-2941 ext. 27241. Folks can also email Davis at kelly.davis@aps.edu.